Radio apparatus



D. F. ASBURY RADIO APPARATUS June 26, 1928.

Filed Feb. 16, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet who 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 c7 4 fiz nk June 26, 1928.

D F. ASBURY RADIO APPARATU S Filed Feb. 16, 1927 June 26, 1928. 1,675,018

D. F. ASBURY RADIO APPARATUS Filed Feb. 16, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented June 26, 1928.

PATENT 'O'FFICE. I

DORSEY I. ASBURY, OF BROOMES ISLAND, MARYLAND.

mm nrrnnnros.

Application filed February 18, 1927. Serial No. 168,789.

My invention relates to radio apparatus and has particular reference to improvements in operating means for the movable parts of tuning units, such, for example, as variable plate condensers, my obJect, generally speaking, being to provide an operating means of simple, inexpensive construction whereby the movable parts of a plurality of tuning units may be connected together for convenient collective and individual operation for the various purposes set forth in my prior applications serially numbered 683,756; 689,338; 10,293; 72,514; 80,833; 89,- 443; 91,197; 95,138; 98,558; 108,074 155,016 and 166,516 and in my Patents 1,598,415; 1,590,441; 1,605,804 and 1,605,805.

It is old. as disclosed in my prior applications 80,833 and 166,516 for example, to provide an operator having two different .forms of movement to move the movable ,parts of a plurality of tuning units collectively. It also is old, as disclosed in said application 80,833, to provide means to cause one form of movement of a two movement operator to impart the other form of movement thereto. A two movement operator is beneficial in itself for various reasons some of which are set forth in said prior applications, and the provision of means to cause one form of movement to impart the other form of movement to a two movement operator also is beneficial for various reasons as will become particularly apparent from a perusal of application 80,833. However, the means disclosed inapplication 80,833 for causing one movement to produce the other movement of the two movement operator thereof consists of a cam which controls continuously each form of movement of the operator with respect to theother form of movement thereof and therefore does not permit such an amount of either'form of movement of the operator individually as would permit the user of the apparatus to test the accuracy of the shape of the cam to establish a pretuned relation of the tuning units for all wave lengths. It is therefore my present purpose to provide in connection with a two movement operator means to cause one form of movement thereof to impart the other form of movement thereto and at the same time permit such an devices effective to produce one form of movement of a two movement operator intermittently during continuous movement of the operator by the other form of movement thereof, the result being that the tuning unlts may be pretuned accurately with certam spaced wave lengths throughout the wave scale and pretuned approximately and sufliciently accurate for all ordinary purposes with all remaining wave lengths in the wave scale and yet the operator is capable of being moved at any time to test the accuracy of the adjustment of said devices.

Other purposes as well as the nature and advantages of my improvements will become more fully apparent from a perusal of the following description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a plural tuning unit radio apparatus showing a pre ferred form of my improved operating means associated with the movable parts of the tuning units thereof;

Fig. 2, a horizontal section through the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3, a central vertical section through the apparatus shown in Figures 1 and 2;

Fig. 4, a detail perspective of an element of my improved apparatus;

Fig. 5, a sectional view showing a modified form of my improved operating means;

Fig. 6, a section on the line 6--6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7, a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a further modified embodiment of my improved operating means.

gig. 8, a section on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7 an Fig. 9, a central vertical section through a portion of the structure shown in Fig. 7.

Referring to the drawings in detail, it will be observed that the tuning units the movable parts of which are intended to be operated by my improved operating mechanisms are indicated in the disclosure of each form of my invention as variable plate condensers, each including, as usual,-a set of stator plates a and a set of rotor plates 6, the latter constituting the movable parts of said units. It is to be understood, however, that the tuning units are illustrated herein as variable plate condensers merely for convenience, since they may be of any other form, such, for exam le, as coils, the only essential being that eac of them include a part movable to effect tuning thereof with different wave lengths in order that my improved mecha nisms may be adapted to their operation.

In a preferred embodiment of my invention as disclosed in Figures 1 to 4, the tuning units, two in number, are mounted in any suitable manner upon any suitable support such as a base board 10 in side by side spaced relation and with the axes of their rotor shafts 12 disposed in parallelism. On an end of the rotor shaft of one unit is fixed a spur gear 14 and on the corresponding end of the rotor shaft of the other unit is fixed a spur gear 16. A shaft) 18, located between the tuning units and disposed normally in parallelism with the rotor shafts of said units, is pivoted at one end as at 20 to a bracket 22 secured to the base 10 for swinging movement in a plane at right angles to a. plane including the axes of the rotor shafts of the tuning units, and upon the other end ortion of said shaft is rotatably mounted a ob or dial 24 which extends through an opening 26 in a panel board 28 to the ex terior of the apparatus where it may be grasped for manipulation. Opening 26 is elongated in the direction of pivota movement of shaft 18 and one side wall 30 thereof is disposed substantially in alinement with the pitch line of the teeth of gear 14 while the other side wall 32 thereof is disposed substantially in alinement with the pitch line of the teeth of gear 16, this for a purpose which will presently appear. A spur pinion 34 carried by the knob or dial 24 is locatedbetween and in mesh with the spur gears 14, 16, the normal looseness or play between the teeth of said pinion and gears permitting the knob or dial to be moved laterally a slight amount suflicient to bring a circular portion 38 thereof against either wall 30 or 32. A friction device indicated generally at 40 serves to resist pivotal movement of shaft 18, so that it will remain in any pivotally adjusted position in which it is placed said device 40 being secured to a fixed support such as base board 10 and including, as shown in Figure 4, a pair of yieldable arms 42, 42 between which the shaft is slidable, the normal distance between said arms being less than the diameter of the shaft whereby the necesnary friction is afforded by said arms to re- ;ist pivotal movements of the shaft.

Fri l-tion device 40 serves to maintain shaft 18 normally midway between the rotor shafts I which the spur gears 14, 16 and consequently the movable parts of the tuning units may be moved collectively, one of said forms of movement being rotation when the cylindrical surface 38 is spaced from both of the walls 30, 32 and the other being a body movement in a direction at ri ht angles to a plane including the axes of t e rotor shafts of the units, the latter form of movement being permitted by pivoting the shaft 18 as at 20 and by elongatin the opening 26 in the direction of pivota movement of said shaft as aforestated.

The tuning units are duplicates of one another, but are arranged in reversed relation, so that rotation of pinion 34 in one direction will serve to increase the amount of overlap between the rotor and stator plates of both units and rotation of said pinion in an opposite direction will serve to decrease the amount of overla between the rotor and stator plates of bot units. Consequently it follows that by bodily shifting the knob or dial 24 in either of its two permissible directions, the amount of overlap between the rotor and stator plates of one unit will be increased and the amount of overlap between the rotor and stator plates of the other unit will be decreased. In other words, it may be said that rotation of the knob or dial 24 will impart movements to the movable parts of the units to secure like tuning results from each of them, while movement of said knob or dial bodily will impart movements to the movable parts of the units to secure unlike tuning results therefrom. On the other hand, by pressing the knob or dial slightly laterally in one direction, its cylindrical surface 38 will be caused to contact with the wall 30, so that by then rotating said knob or dial while maintaining its cylindrical surface 38 in contact with-said wall a rolling action of the knob against said wall will occur and spur pinion 34 as a result will, in eflect, pivot about spur gearv 14 and as a consequence rotate spur gear 16 individually, spur gear 14 remaining stationary due to the wall 30 being alined with the pitch line of the teeth of said gear, so that as the knob rolls against said wall, pinion 34 also rolls against gear 14. By pressing the knob laterally in an opposite direction and simultaneously imparting a rotary movement thereto, cylindrical surface 38 will roll on wall 32 and as a. consequence pinion 34 will pivot about gear 16 with resultant individual rotation of gear 14.

It will be noted that when the knob or dial is rolled against either wall 30 or 32 the spur gear which is alined with the wall against which the knob or dial 'is rolled will be held against rotation by the pinion 34 due to the rolling action of the latter against the gear.

As a result of the arrangement of parts having the mode of operation described in the foregoing the manipulation necessary to tune both of the tuning units accurately with any particular wave length is apparent; first, the knob or dial 24 is rotated to more the movable parts of the units collect-ively until each is approximately in tune with the wave length desired. lVhen this has been .done the operator then may be shifted bodily to increase the capacity of one unit and decrease the capacity of the other if this is necessary to bring each unit accurately in tune with the desired wave length, or, if one unit has been tuned accurately with the desired wave length as a result of the collective operation and only the other unit requires further adjustment to bring it into accurate tune with the same wave length, operation of the individual unit requiring ad'ustment may be effected by rolling the knob against one or the other of the walls 30 or 32.

Since the pinion 34 is located between and remains at all times in mesh with the gears 14, 16 and since the latter are rotatable in opposite directions to accomplish the same tuning effects in each unit, it follows that the knob or dial 24 can have only a single definite position when each unit is accurately tuned with any particular wave length, and this being true it follows that the various definite positions assumed by the knob when the apparatus is in accurate tune with different wave lengths, respectively, may be logged or indicated, so that whenever it is desired to tune the apparatus with a particnlar wave length all that is necessary is to move the operator to the single definite position it can occupy when the units are in tune with that wave length. In other Words, since the knob 24 must have a definite position of rotation as well as a definite position bodily when both units are in tune with a particular wave length, it is manifest that once the correct rotated and bodily moved positions of the knob are known for correct tuning of the units with a particular wave length any suitable means may be employed for indicating these positions, so that if subsequently it is desired to tune the apparatus with that particular wave length, such tuning may be accomplished instantly simply ticular wave length, as proposed in my'application 166,516, I now provide means which, durin rotation of the knob or dial,

will automatically move the same bodily the amount necessary to bring both units accurately in tune with different wave lengths encountered by the units during rotation of the knob or dial. A preferred form of such means may consist, as shown in the drawings, of a pair of spaced abutment members such as rollers 44, 44 secured to the panel board 28, and a series of devices such as disks 46 mounted eccentrically on the knob or dial 24 and spaced circumferentially around the latter, said devices, during rotation of the knob or dial, being adapted to pass successively between the rollers 44, 44 and by engagement with the latter serving to move the dial and consequently the pinion 34 bodily in one direction or the other, either upward or downward as shown in Fig. 1 to bring the units accurately in tune with the particular Wave length encountered when any given disk 46 is located between the rollers 44, 44.x The disks are eccentrically mounted on screws 48 which pass through the knob or dial and are threaded into the disks, so that the latter may be adjusted and secured in different adjusted positions to produce a greater or lesser amount of body movement of the knob or dial as may be required for any given amount of rotary movement thereof to secure accurate tuning of the units with different wave lengths. To secure proper adjustment of the disks the several screws 48 are loosened and the knob or dial is rotated until one of the disks is positioned between the rollers 44, 44, at which time the units will be approximately in tune with a wave length. The knob or dial then is manipulated in the manner aforementioned to individually adjust first one and then the other of the units to bring each of them accuratel in tune with that wave length. This will result in the operator assuming the one definite position it can occupy when both units are accurately in tune with the wave length, all that then is necessary being to tighten the screw 48 to lock the disk 46 against movement. The knob or dial then is rotated until the next disk is located between the rollers 44.- 44 and the same operation is repeated. hen all of the disks have been adjusted and locked against movement the apparatus thus is pretuned with certain spaced wave lengths in the wave scale and pretuned approximately with all other wave lengths in the wave scale, this because the disks 46 are placed relatively close to one another so that the amount of body movement of the knob or dial for an amount of rotary movement thereof equal to the distance etween any two disks necessary to secure accurate tune ing of the units with differentwave lengths is so slightthat proper ad uStment'of any one. disk not only means that the units .are

pretuned accuratelywith the wave length encountered. when that disk is' fbetween the rollers 44, 44, but that theyare tunedsuifie ciently accurate for all ordinary purposes with wave Ilen between, but 'only adjacent to the rollers, friction device 40 serving to hold the' knob or dial against body movement at such times duringv rotation, thereof that the disks do "not'engag'e the rollers, so that the body ad- '20- givenjdisk is maintained until the next disk 'just'ment of the knob or dial effected by any moves between the rollers By reason of the relative spacement of the disks the knob or dial is free to be moved bodily whenever a disk is not located between the rollers, so that the accuracy of the adjustment of the disks may be tested whenever desired.

In Figures 5 and 6 of'the drawings I have shown my present i-nprovements associated with an operator of the type disclosed in my ap lication 80,833, that is, with an operator aving two different formsof movement, one of which is reciprocation and the other is tilting movement to move the movable parts of the tuning units with which it is associated. In this form of my invention the tuning units are mounted in spaced relation with their rotor shafts disposed in parallelism and equipped, respectively, with spur gears 14', 16, the operator for said. units being in the form of a double rack bar 50, the teeth alongone side of which mesh with one of said gears and the teeth along the other side of which mesh with the other of said gears, it being apparent that by moving said bar longitudinally the gears 14, 16' will berotated in opposite directions equal amounts collectively which, due to the reversed relation of the tuning units, will impart the same tuning movement to each of them, and that by tilting said 'bar the gears will be rotated in the same 'particular disk is between said rollers.

Adjustment of the disks in this instance is efi'ect'ed in the same manner mentioned in respect to the disks 46 in the embodiment of v hs encountered-' when, by tudinallywith respect} thereto, a pair of rotation of the nob or dial,the disk is not spring arms 64 secured'to support 54 and frictionall-y engaging said .block serving to resist movement thereof in the direction of tiltin movement of thebar. In igures 7 to ,9 of the drawings I have illustrated a further modification of my present invention to show primarily that a two movement operator is capable of operating more than two tuning units collectively and individually in pretuned relation to one another. This form of my invention is the same as the form shown in Fig. 1 with the exception that theend of the shaft 18 opposite the end thereof on which the knob or dial 24 is'mou'nted, instead of being pivoted to a fixed support, has mounted thereon a spur pinion 66 meshing with a spur gear 68 on the rotor shaft of a third tuning unit indicated generally at 70. Also, instead of a cylindrical surface 38 being provided on the knob or dial as in the disclosure of Fig. 1, a pair of screws 72. are threaded into the panel 28 in such position with respect to the spur gears 14, 16 that either or both of these gears may be locked by said screws against rotation. The end of shaft 18 which carries pinion 66 is capable of lateral movement in a direction which will result in rotation of spur gear 68 by said pinion provided the latter is held against rotation, but such lateral movement of said shaft normally is resisted by a friction device indicated generally at 74. On pinion 66 is mounted eccentrically a series of disks 76 which areis manifest that with each of the screws 72,

82 loosened, rotation of the knobor dial 24; will result in collective rotation of the movable parts of all of the tuning units. however, one of the screws 72 is tightened to hold, say, spur gear 14 against rotation, and if atthe same time screw 82 is tightened to .hold pinion 66 against rotation, rotation of the knob or dial 24 then willresult in pinion 34 rolling against gear 14 and pinion 66 rolling against spur gear 68 with consequent individual rotation or adjustment of spur gear 16. On the other hand, by tightening the forms of movement of said operating the other of the screws 72 to lock spur gear 16 against rotation and loosening the first of said screws to permit spur gear 14 to rotate, while maintaining screw 82 tightened, rotation of the knob or dial 24 will cause pinion 34 to roll on spur gear 16 and spur gear 14 will be rotated or adjusted individually. .Again, by tightening both screws 72 to hold both gears 14 and .16 against rotation and by loosening screw 82 to permit spur ear 68 to rotate, individual rotation'or adustment of this latter spur gear may be member intermittently during continuous movement of said operating member by the other form of movement thereof.

3. In radio apparatus, a plurality of adjustable tuning units, an operator having two difi'erent forms of movement one .of which is rotation, connections between said operator and said units responsive to either form of movement of said operator independently of the other to adjust said units collectively, and-means to cause continuous rotation of said operator to impart the other effected by lateral movement of'the end of\jform of movement thereto intermittently.

the shaft 18 carrying the pinion 66. Thus, in

the light of the explanation given in respect to the disclosures in the preceding figures of the drawings, it is a parent that by means of two sets of adjustahle disks, one set on the dial 24 and the other set on the pinion 66 a single, two movement operator may be I adapted to the pretuned operation of three tuning units, the disks on the pinion 66 serving to move this pinion the correct amount laterally at the same time the disks on the knob or dial move the pinion 34 bodily during rotation of the knob or dial to cause all units to tune simultaneously and accurately with different wave lengths encountered by the units during their collective movement resulting from rotation of the knob or dial.

From the foregoing description considered in connection with the .accompanying drawings it is believed that the construction, operation and advantages of my improvements will be fully understood. I desire to point out, however, that various changes and desirable additions may be made in and to the structures shown within the spirit and scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In radio apparatus, a plurality of adjustable tuning units, an operator having two different forms of movement one of which is rotation, connections between said operator and units responsive to either form of movement of said operator independently of the other to adjust said units collectively, and means for causing one of the forms of movement of said operator to produce the other form of movement thereof. 7

2. In radio apparatus, a plurality of adjustable tuning units, an operating member having two different forms of movement, connections between said operating member and said units responsive to either form of movement of said operating member independently of the other to adjust said units collectively, a fixed member adjacent to said operating member, spaced devices carried by one of said members, and an element carried by the other of said members cooperating with said spaced devices to produce one of 4. In radio apparatus, a plurality of ad- 'ustable tuning units, an operating member aving two different forms of movement, connections between said operating member and said units responsive to either form of movement of said operating member independently of the other to adjust said units collectively, a fixed member adjacent to said operating member, spaced devices carried by one of said members, an element carried by the other of said members adapted for successive cooperation with said spaced devices said operator and said units responsive to rotary and lateral movements of said operator independently of one another to adjust said units collectively, and means for causing one of the movements of said operator to impart the other movement thereto.

6. In radio apparatus, a plurality of adjustable tuning units, an operating member having two different forms of movement, connections between said operating member and said units responsive to either form of movement of said operating member independently of the other to adjust said units collectively, a fixed member adjacent to said operating member, spaced devices carried by one of said members, an element carried by the other of said members cooperating with said spaced devices to produce one of the forms of movement of said operating member intermittently during continuous movement of said operating member bythe other form of movement thereof, and means for adjusting said spaced devices to vary the amount of movement imparted by them to said operating member.

7. In radio apparatus, a plurality of adjust-able tuning units, a rotatable and laterally movable operator, conpectio'n's between sald operator and se1dun1ts res onsrve-to rotary and lateral 'movements 0 said operator independentlyof one another toad.-

- just said units collectively, spaced members carried by said operator; and a, fixed member with which said spaced members successively In testimenj wllereefi hereurltoi'aflix my coaet during retetiqn of said 'eperator :impart'lateral movements thereto intermittently. Y

signature.

7 DORSEY. F; ASBURY. 

